The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to take on uphill battles in the final quarter of the regular season. Taking on the Utah Jazz for the second game in a row, Minnesota was once again without star big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. With KAT recovering from his recent surgery on his left meniscus tear and Gobert nursing a rib injury, the Wolves have been reliant on Naz Reid to fill their void. In two games as a starter this season, Reid has delivered. The Wolves’ big was averaging 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.0 blocks while filling in for Towns and Gobert.
Reid's productive play carried into his start on Monday night against Utah. In just 17 minutes, the talented offensive weapon scored a point per minute as he poured in 17 first half points. Asserting himself early, Reid’s aggression resulted in a 7-12 shooting performance to give the Wolves a much-needed scoring punch. However, the vitally important Reid sustained a head injury late in the second quarter. A collision with John Collins, who was in pursuit of a potential rebound, resulted in Reid being ruled out for the remainder of the game.
With Minnessota down at halftime, there was work to be done for an extremely short-handed unit. Despite Minnesota’s lengthy injury report, the team was able to scratch and claw its way into a back-and-forth battle with the Jazz. Ultimately, Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and company secured a big-time win for the short-handed Timberwolves by a final score of 114-104. Let’s dig in to how the short-handed Wolves keep finding a way to win.
Timberwolves' bench contributions are key
With multiple starters out, most teams would be extremely limited from a depth perspective. However, the Timberwolves got multiple big time contributions off the bench in Monday’s win. First and foremost, Nickeil Alexander-Walker continues to shine in his second season with Minnesota. NAW did a bit of everything for the Wolves in the win, scoring 13 points (3-6 from deep) while snagging four rebounds, dishing out five assists and recording five stocks (two blocks and three steals). Alexander-Walker was a team-high +26 in the win.
Veteran guards Jordan McLaughlin and Monte Morris came up big as well with efficient shooting and some timely passing. McLaughlin especially has shot the ball with confidence this season as most teams elect to sag off of him. J-Mac went 3-3 from deep and scored 11 points off the bench for a Wolves team in search of scoring punch. Morris knocked down two triples of his own, but also dished out four assists. The Wolves combined for 27 team assists as crisp ball movement continues to breed good results for Minnesota.
Collectively, the Timberwolves bench scored 42 total points on just 27 total shots. With Alexander-Walker, Morris and McLaughlin playing high-caliber basketball, the Timberwolves appear deep enough to at least stay afloat while some of their stars miss time late in the season.
The Anthony Edwards effect
One benefit the Minnesota Timberwolves currently have that other organizations do not is their deep collection of top-end talent. With two former All-NBA players out, Minnesota’s best player was still active and ready to roll. Anthony Edwards, who continues to blossom as a superstar, simply cannot be denied. One of the league’s most entertaining players put on a show again on Monday night.
The headliner of his performance was perhaps the dunk of the year. In the third quarter, Edwards got the better of Jazz high-flyer John Collins in a transition opportunity. Ant-Man took a pass in stride from Alexander-Walker and soared into a classic poster jam.
Airplane Ant pic.twitter.com/WvMBDF3s9i
— Sheldon Wohlman (@3swohlman) March 19, 2024
Edwards’ performance was much more than what shows up on social media. On the night, the star guard finished with 32 and scored in a number of ways. Knocking down a couple pull-up threes, wiggling his way through traffic with euro-steps and step-through’s, and some clutch mid-range jumpers, Edwards' scoring dominance is incredibly tough to slow down. On the night, Edwards knocked down 13 shots of his 23 attempts.
Outside of impressive scoring, the former number one overall pick’s continued growth as a facilitator is notable once again from Monday night’s contest. Finishing with eight assists, his cross-court passing and timely dimes were vital in powering the Wolves to another win. Even with multiple starters out, Edwards’ tenacity and presence gives Minnesota a fighting chance against any team in the league.
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